Steve Nash FIRED, Cavs & Bucks Hot Start, Week 2 NBA Reactions | WHAT’S BURNIN | Showtime Basketball

from the Midnight Falcons, you got his curls today. Man, your ship is laid. Bro. I don't know what kind of what you did this morning, but the motherfucker's is sitting right man. Shout out to Hugh for every man plug. Well, let's get to it man. Out east, the Milwaukee Bucks look like they're on a mission without Chris Middleton right now. They're off to a six and old start. Janice is everything and advertised and more. What are your thoughts on

this team? Obviously not jumping to conclusions because it's still very early in the season, but they look like they're on the mission this year. Yeah, man, I'm I'm just I'm happy. I'm happy to see the approach Jonnis has to this season. Man, you know I said things about him, I doubted him, and a lot of people did. But right now, you know what I'm saying, I'm can boldly say he is one of the best players and is one of the best players in the league and one

of the best players we've ever seen. Um, all the stars in the NBA right now, none of them has took a taken the approach to the way he's taking this season to be six and oh, to be dominant as he's been already. I can see him win an m VP Defensive Player year and the Championship this year with the with the focus that he's showing right now, and um, nobody can say nothing bad about him, honest

has proven everybody wrong. He's proving me wrong. And I'll be the first to said the league is don't notice right now because the way he's starting it should it should be frightening everybody. Yeah, I was someone, you know, amongst the masters who kind of doubted him early on, But he's one of those guys that instead of pouting with criticism or hiden criticism, he takes that criticism as fuel and comes back better, stronger, uh and more defined game every single year. He comes back with a new

aspect to his game every single year. Um, so I completely agree with you. Someone that could sweep the awards season and also, you know, bring on the ultimate award, which is a championship. So you know, this team is definitely scary. It's still early, still a lot of basketball, but like you said, it's a mindset that there he's playing with that their team follows with. Um, they'll need Chris Middleton to get over the hump. But yeah, Janice Is is on some other ship right now, staying out

east with another team who is minus a star. But the Cleveland Cavaliers are off to a five and one start with without Darius Garland. Donovan Mitchell has found a new home, a new energy, and he's playing on a whole a nother level. He made a spin, moved the other day and dunked on someone. I said, holy shit, Jack, can Mitchell be the best player on a championship caliber

team in your opinion? Yes? And he and he also can be m v P because the way he's playing right now, I think Cleveland can finish top three in the East this year, and uh, if he has a big year, you know, scoring wise, and they have and they have a good record with Regardling coming back, this team could really make some noise and I think that would be a good look for Donovan Midship. This team could be at the top of the East at the

end of the season with the way he's playing right now. Yeah, I mean, obviously we were there was a ceiling, you know. You and I never really believed in Utah because then he never really had a real sidekick as far as the scoring punch goes. With all due respect to Jordan Clarkson who was coming off the bench at the time. Um, but allviously, with this young Cleveland team, they got a lot of pieces and you know, Darius Garland will turn Uh. You know, they got Mobili, they got Allen, They got

a lot of good piece, solid pieces over there. They created a new identity and they played hard with which I love to see. So again, very early in the season, but very impressive so far for this young Cleveland team led by Donovan Mitchell. Heading out west, the Los Angeles Lakers were able to get their first win UM on Sunday versus the Nuggets. Westbrook came off the bench but was very, very impressive. I got a chance to tart to Darvin Ham after that. Uh, you know, I was

congratulating him on his first win. And he has a strong feeling that Russell Westbrook can be the sixth man of the Year, and I never really considered that, but I'm definitely not mad at that. He has the talent still, he has the skills still, he has the hunger still, and if he can really buy into that six man roll,

it could be very beneficial for this team. But what I liked was they were runted a lot of picking rolls of Russe and Braun and Braun being the roller and duncan and finishing and distributing because I've always said Braun is so talented you could put him anywhere on the court and he's gonna be effective. So I think it's obviously gonna take some time. A d needs to get healthy, healthy, because he still looks like looks like he's you know, running like an old man out there.

But hopefully with him continuing to be healthy and Russ buying into that role, you know this team can get out of hot streak. What are your thoughts on the Lakers and Russ coming off the bench, and if they can figure it out, you know, what is the ceiling for them? What an accolade to add to already Hall of Fame career, six Man of the Year for Russ and everything that people were saying about about him, What

does that say about you? Now? It was all false for a guy like Russ to be the player he is with the Triple Doves and the career has had, you know what I'm saying. They don't talk about lgen Beta like that, and he's had the same career, if not better, you know far as as far as stat wise. Um, so give Russ his respect. Ain't too many players that that that that hold those records, uh that that Russ has can can take a step back rather and come off the bench and still be productive as he was

as a starter. So take your hat off to Russ and everybody that was talking about him. I know you feel stupid now because you know what I'm saying, Russ Russe has always been a team guy and the guy just want to play basketball. We all knew that, and and and and and to see him having success coming off the bench and still being the guy is and to have a coach like Donovan, I mean, dar Darwin Skull Dharmah Hamm talking about him saying he can be

a six man of a year. I think it's it's all saying a lot about Russ's character that a lot of people didn't know. With all that said, there's still stirs and I think Miles Turner was on Vogious podcast this past week talking about the Lakers could really should really consider their situation and what they're looking for and

what they want. Jack, if you were in management over there, would you give up Russell Westbrook for Miles Turner, Buddy Healed and their first round picks in seven and twenty nine? Or remember what Rachel told us last week that if they just ride this season out, Russell come off the books and they'll have a max space and it can be a completely new team. So my question with that is, at this point and Lebron's career, do you give it a whole season or you proactive and we're all in

for Braun? Why we still have him? What would be your approach if you were in management. I'm keeping Russ, Ain't no question about it. I'm keeping Russ because Russ is not the question. A D is the question. Russ gonna come with the effort. He's gonna play hard every night. He's gonna give you whatever he got, you know what I'm saying. And that's one thing you don't have to worry about him, is is this effort. You've got other

pieces of putting the play now. But the question is a D. Is he gonna be there the whole season? How fit, how healthy he gonna be? And what kind of eighties that that that's gonna show up every night for this team? Is gonna be the thirty point fifteen rebound a D Or is it gonna be the twenty points five rebound a D? You know what I'm saying, that's what matters. I never thought Russ was the problem, the guy that that that everybody is praising and saying that, Uh,

he's closer to him. Duncan like I gotta said before, the A D can do this, he can do that. Well he has to do it and uh and then then that's why everybody's been blaming Russ, because they've been trying to shy away from blaming a D. M. Yeah, Russ is definitely a scapegoat. He was escapeboard last year long with the coach, but I love that he's buying in again and hopefully this works out well. Heading down the hall way to the Los Angeles Clippers, uh a lot of odds on favorite to come out of the

West have been off to a slow start. PG had a big bucket down the stretch against Houston Monday night to clinch that game three and four. As they currently stand, Kauai has missed four straight games, Jack, Is this something we should be concerned about? You know, Kauai as someone who's missed a lot of time over the last few years. Obviously win healthy, one of the best players in the world. But health is that keyword again we just talked about

with a D. Health is in an availability is key? Um. Do you think they're just monitoring their minutes or is there possible you know more that you know we're not hearing as a now of why Kauai hasn't really been playing as much as we thought he would be playing up to this point. I hope that's the case, that just monitor his minutes. I mean, I think they bragged on how how how strong he was and how how

how how built he looked coming into the season. You know what I'm saying, I wonder I wanted if that's taking a toll and he came in a little bit too heavy and they don't want to you know, starting start him off from too many minutes and playing too much and risk and re injuring something. So that could be it. But me knowing Kauai from the times I played with him, I know here dog, he wants to play if he's not on the court. Um, I'm pretty

sure it's something that they're worried about. Yeah, yeah, I mean I agree. Um, you know, Kuai has been on limited minutes the game he has to the games he has played. Um, so let's just hope that it's monitoring and it's not any kind of aggravation or flare up, which is quite possible, you know when you missed that

much time. So you know, hoping for the best out there, because although it's still early, um, without him as a as a major, major key piece that uh you know, we we we'll kind of deter them from their ultimate goal breaking news just in hot off the burner, Steve Nash has been fi year as the Brooklyn Nets coach. Jack Von will be be acting head coach um for the foreseeable future. Stack first thoughts. I've been saying he wasn't a coach rolling footage back, go get a dealing,

let's post it all on social media. I've been saying it. I've been sayingyone in the coach, Bro, I'm not I'm not surprised I didn't. I didn't know how soon it wanted. His home bother was gonna do it. Sean Walks is gonna do it. But I've been said that, Bro, he's not the guy for for those dominant, dominant personalities over there. You know what I'm saying, they need somebody that can relate to more. And I'm not just I'm not just saying a black coach. I'm saying somebody that can relate

to more. And if that's a black coach and so big. But he wasn't the coach for those guys. Stevens a laid back, cool guy. Steve go to work, do his job. You know what I'm saying. He ain't looking for too much competition, he ain't trying to be in the media. And that's totally what what what you're gonna get being a coach in Brooklyn, Right, So, you know, Steve is my guy, but I knew from day one that I want him to succeed because you know, everybody know I'm

I'm pulling for the nets. But I knew he wasn't a coach from day one. Yeah, I mean I think it was. It was written on the wall from the beginning. You know, when Kyrie said, you know, do we really need a coach? Or I want to paraphrase what he said, but it was something to that tune, and it wasn't a disrespectful shot at Steve, but he was just saying, like, Yo, our team is so talented, we don't really need a coach.

But we all know that whoever is the coach of a team needs to have that locker room respect, and I think naturally by nature, not that they disrespect to Steve, but Steve, like, for everything you said, he's just such a mild manner dude that I just think that locker room, with all the ship outside of basketball that has been going on, I just think it was just too much for him to kind of bite down on pause because they needed a really like an authoritive figure in that

locker room that those kind of be like, Yo, this is what the fun is going on, you know what I mean, And I don't think that he's that type of guy. So it'll be interesting moving forward to us see how Brooklyn responds to this situation. You know, Katie spoke on it this this past offseason, you know what I mean. He's just you know, I feel like they needed to move on from the situation, so out the

gates with a tough start. Um, Nash is gone, So you know, best to luck to those guys out there, best to luck to Steve to be able to land on his feet. Still a very bright mind. I'm sure he's going to get another opportunity, but I agree with you Jack, he wasn't necessarily a right fit for that team. Next up, Money Talks, presented to you by one of

our favorite sponsors, money Line. The league is proposing a new system that would replace the luxury tax with a hard limit that would limit teams to not exceed the paid salaries. So I guess there'd be a cap on it so teams can't go in the luxury tax um. Obviously, the players Association wouldn't be for this, um the owners would be for this, but this would really handcuff a lot of teams that are just like hey, particularly Golden State,

that are all the way in the luxury text. I want to say four d plus million um as we stand down if they resign Draymond and can get to half a billion uh in the luxury tax. You know, similar to what you see in baseball with teams going out there and able to kind of by their way to the championship, but you still have to win it. But Jack, what are your thoughts on them putting a

hard cap um on it? Obviously a bad move for players, but would probably bring more parity to the game because you know, you can't just go out there and pay all your players what you should be able to do. But they're trying to stop that. So what are your thoughts on this potential move by the NBA? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. You owners, mad, y'all? Man, y'all y'are mad? Gold State running up the championships on y'all,

y'all trying to break that ship up. They only complain about paying that extra bread, So why y'all worried about it? Find a way to get your team in that position where you win in and making money where you can go, go, go, gets the taxi and have to pay all that money over the tax and still win and still make money. Obviously he knows what he's doing. Obviously he knows what

he's doing. So man, somebody was dry hayden bro one of the owners started dry hayting, and he found another owner who was mad, and they started dry hating together, and that's how all this ship came apart. Y'all just mad, go to stay running up on your all, right, So we'll have to wait to see. Uh, you know, if this actually comes into place. Um, you know, I don't agree with it. Obviously, I'm pro players getting their money

and like like you said, stack it. If you can go in the luxury tax and not sweat it, go on the luxury tax and not sweat it. So it'll be interesting to see how this plays out because I know if they put this hard cap on, this could possibly push the NBA into another lockout because you know, the n v p A is not gonna go for that. So keep in mind, for the first time in the history of the game, the NBA top ten billion in revenue,

which they haven't seen before. Um, you know, with something like this, with this again, even the playing field for smaller market teams. Um, though you don't see really too many small market teams. I guess Milwaukee is considered a small market team. Right. Let me take that back with this limit the field jack in your opinion for for for small market teams, or you just like the idea you you don't pay to play, pay to win, get

your hustle up playing and simple. That's simple. Well, that was money Talks presented to you by money Line on the Radar, presented to you by Draft Kings. Let's take it to look at the current odds on favor to be thee NBA Rookie of the Year. Let's start with Polo Banchero at a minus three hundred, someone who I really like used to give the Bruins nightmares over you of a being mathin a dog at plus four fifty.

That Sacramento king Boy, that light skinning shooter over there at a plus twelve hundred, Keegan Murray, Jay Navy and the plus Keeck Murray on the plus twelve hundred Jay Navy is a plus eighteen hundred, followed by just Mary Jabari Smith and Shading Sharp, who I really like over in Portland. Stack thoughts on rookies this year, Polo's averaging twenty three, eight and four. I'm going with a Polo. I mean, not only because of what he's averaging now, is he's gonna get the best shot to do what

he needs to do, you know what I mean. He's gonna get the ball, he's gonna get the minutes, and if he stays healthy, he's he's he's a shooting for this award. The kids came in, UM average average and a dub already. Uh, he's getting the points he's averaged in his first four or five games, I think is almost equivalent to a Lebron or even uh might be better. And um, just the confidence he's showing right off the

bat says a lot about the kid like that. So if he continues to be dominated, continues to have the role he's had he has already on his team as being the leader, and stay healthy, this is a ward, no doubt I did. I always like to point out when we talk about him that I was the one that said he is the number one pick. Although they were back and forth with a lot of you know, obviously check you know went down in the summer with the ankle in juice we haven't got to see his real,

real rookie campaign. But you know, I've been here about Polo for a long time from Jamal Crawford and and my homeboy Spencer has out in Seattle, like there's this boy coming that's nice, and then you got a chance to see him in the Iverson game and just how big he is and his guards skill set for the frame he has, we haven't seen anything like that. But one of the person I like to talk about through before we get out of this Polo is uh Ben Mathroom, that boy over in Indiana. He is a dog, He's

a problem. He's at one five and three, um, so when I feel like you could build a team around his energy, his athleticism, his overall skill set is very press though, so I like he's kind of been the dark horse sneaking up the charts. Although it's still early in the season. There's a lot of game closing thoughts. Shout out to our brother Kevin Durant for passing one of his idols, Vince Carter to be the nineteenth all

time leading score. The next up on his list as a friend of the program, the great Kevin Garnett, who was at twenty six thousand, seventy one points. Jack, where do you think k D when it's all said and done, knock on wood, boring health will finish on the scoring list. It's really hard to tell right now, man, because Katie so efficient. Man, he could end up anywhere on the list.

You know what, the man he saw efficient if he stays healthy, if he continue to have the right guys around him to to take some of the load off on him and still average thirty like he'd been doing for another four or five years. Hey, man, he could end up anywhere on the list. I don't want to. I don't want to him a spot now because you know, like like we always talked about nobody's more efficient scoring a k D and then we've never seen the guy that's ill to be able to score like he does.

So if health it's not a problem right people around the right situation, he could be at the top. I agree, definitely. I think he'll crack that top five he's able to stay healthy. Um. Again, one of the most efficient scores we've ever seen. Um and again, man, congrats broke beautiful thing. Although he's not too into individual um you know, accolades. Uh, This is a huge step for him, man, so make

sure you celebrate that. Congrats to our brother. Last but not least, unfortunately, we lost another very talented brother last last night. Rest in peace to take Off from the me Goes who was killed in Houston. Um. You know details are still swrowing around, but where it is. You know, a dice game was going on, and you know he was being his normal self often cut chilling, Uh ends up getting shot and lost his life. So I want to send our prayers and condolences out to his family,

his friends, his fans, um, everyone Jack state of hip hop. Man, It's it's unfortunate, man, we continue to do this to ourselves. Uh. So many great falling, talenting your brothers these days. And someone who obviously crossed over and was able to you know, be in the rap game, and and you've been around it your whole life. What are your thoughts on just the state of what the fund is going on right now in our communities. I mean it sucks. It sucks first our rest in peace to take Off and end

your family, man, I'm sending love and condolences. Take Off is one of the realists, always stayed out the way. Uh. I didn't want to be seen. All I wanted to do was make music and talk about shoes, you know what I mean, talk about the NBA stories. But he definitely gonna be missed. But I hate hip hop right now, Matt, because hip hop has no morals, you know what I'm saying. The days when we were hearing self destruction, you headed

for self destruction. You ain't got no rappers coming out even thinking to attempt to make a rhyme like that, you know what I'm saying. And and and it's disheartening because they have such a large impact on our children and and the and the and and the and the culture coming up, you know what I mean. So the things they say, Madam Man, and they're so comfortable with this and the dead and talk about the dead, and all they talk about is ops and shooting each other.

And you know, I you gotta be intelligent enough to know that these people not living, these Lyris. You've gotta be intelligent enough to listen to the music and George, but now not apply to your everyday life, you know. And I know people you know gotta I gotta make a living for themselves. But you know what I'm saying, to what to one of the points that I did agree with with Kanye. You know what I'm saying, If you know these kids gonna be doing this, why keep

putting money in their hands? You what I'm saying, Why why keep putting them in his position to fail? Because that's basically what they're doing, you know what I mean. So I hated Matt, you know what I'm saying. But I know I don't have all the answers, man, mm hmm. We just thought, Man, the world needs a big hug right now, because it's not just obviously rappers is It's it's across the board, you know, just people in our community. We continue to lose over senseless ship, over ego, over pride,

over embarrassment. Um, Like you said, you don't have the answers. I don't think anyone has an answers. That's why it continues to happen. Man. So I just want to send prayers out there to everybody, but particularly uh take off his family, My brother Quabo, are brother Quevo, Uh, you know, offset the rest of the Megales although they broke up, you know, and it's a tough way too because you know,

you know, to keep it real there was there. You know, they're at odds that the group just spliting, you know, So now you know Offset will never have a chance to clear up whatever what's going on with his brother, like his brother's gone, you know. And obviously Cuebo loses his nephew who you know, helped raise. It's it's just so deep and and so senseless at times. Man, but anyway, this could be a whole show in itself. A man again, rest in peace to take off. Condolences to the family

and friends, and ma'am, we gotta do better. People gotta do better. You can catch What's Burning available every week on Showtime Basketball YouTube and on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok and Show Basketball